Time

The Beginning and the End

I used to have it all.

I had a nice house with nice furniture. A loving husband that only wanted to see me smile. A daughter that knew things before anyone else did. And a son that was kind and loyal to the bitter end. Everything was perfect for me, for us. We had it all. That was, until the shadow took everything from us.

Sombra overthrew the king and queen, who bore no child. He enslaved us, separating us from our families to work the mines. Some had it worse, mostly the young women, who were chosen to personally serve the demon. I could only imagine what he would do to the poor women. Some having husbands or fiances, maybe simply a boyfriend. My daughter and I worked the mines, she was only six and I was five months pregnant with her brother. Sombra didn't want women that were 'in use'. It made me sick, to know such a being existed amongst us.

Working the mine was such a chore for me. My stomach would get in the way of everything. Having morning sickness and swollen feet didn't help much either. The women and men that worked in my section were kind enough to do everything for me. In turn, I'd tend to their wounds if they had any. Or I'd cure them of their fever. It was the least I could do for them.

I can still remember Moon Mist asking me: "Where's Papa?" it tore my heart. I didn't know if he was working the mines or was amongst the soldiers. I had to force a smile to, hopefully, assure her. "He's working somewhere else." I told her. After that, Moon Mist never asked again. Deep down, I had known she saw through my facade. Despite her age, Moon Mist is smarter than the average six year old. I know she inherited that from her father, I was never good in school.

It wasn't until I was six months that a war was declared. The one who made the declaration against the Crystal Empire was Equestria. It was hardly shocking, Equestria was very well known for defeating powerful enemies. At least, that's what I was told as a child. All of us women were scared for our sons, fathers, brothers and husbands. All the older men would be called out to the battlefield, leaving us women to tend to the mines. I remember kneeling in the barracks, with Moon Mist by my side. She clung to my arm for life, tears threatening to spill from her crystal eyes.

"Gods above, please answer our prayer and set us free."

Though, that day, it seemed the gods found a loophole in my prayer. The Royal Sisters banished Sombra into the shadows, where he belonged. But, with the last bit of his magic, Sombra dragged us with him into the shadows. I remember how I felt weightless, emotionless. Time was nothing, it didn't exist. My mind was blank, no thoughts or memories went through it. It was as if I wasn't there, but then again I was. I couldn't hear anything but the steady rhythm of my breathing and my heart pounding.

After what felt like a single moment, a light appeared before me. It gave me back all my senses that had been lost to the void. The first thing I felt was warmth, then two muscular arms around me. The next thing I felt was softness beneath me, a bed. I then heard it, I heard his honey coated voice call out to me. "Shaman."

I opened my eyes after what felt like eternity. There, I saw shining, obsidian eyes stare into me. White strands of hair danced in front of his face, making me fall in love again. Before I could speak, I heard the door creak open and tiny footsteps. "Momma? Papa?" a soft voice said. We both quickly sat up with wide eyes. "Moon Mist."

Oh how joyous that day was. I'll never be able to forget it. The overwhelming joy, the tears, the tender hugs and the sweet nothings whispered into my ear. I had my beloved husband and beautiful daughter with me once more. Once again, I felt whole, free and like I had it all. It had seemed life would get better after all.

During our small reunion, a knock came from the front door. I had rushed over to answer it and when I did, I was surprised. There stood a woman with dark blue hair with two highlights in them. Her purple eyes had fear shining through. She wasn't a Crystal Citizen, something I knew just by looking into her eyes. She gave us news that shocked us all. "The Crystal Empire has been gone for a 1,000 years."